Not perfect, but definitely worth watching
My opinion and feedback are totally subjective, and considering the huge fan following Pursuit of Jade has amassed, I hope I don’t offend the hardcore fans of the show. The 9.1 rating on My Drama List became one of the deciding factors to watch Pursuit of Jade, besides the cast. I had not watched any of Zhang Linghe’s shows before Pursuit, so I had no idea about his acting skills, but the actress is a known one (watched and loved her a lot in New Life Begins).
The story is not very unique. It has all the elements that a period drama is expected to have: a hero/heroine in distress, seeking revenge, a royal house planning and plotting, and a dark past that clearly affects many lives in the present. Nevertheless, it’s the screenplay that determines how the story unfolds and characters progress. Pursuit of Jade does a really good job in this area. Characters evolve and grow (at least most of them do). The subplots and the supporting cast have done a great job as well. The music is not exceptionally great, but worth remembering. Besides the romantic numbers, there are a few exhilarating pieces that blend well with the storyline.
The actors: Pursuit of Jade is full of great-looking actors. The whole Zhang Linghe beauty admiration doesn’t look like hype at all. He surely is a gorgeous-looking man, and not to mention, he looks utterly gorgeous in the traditional Chinese period drama costumes. The wigs have enhanced his looks 10 times; even in that bee sting headgear which he has worn twice during his grand entrance, suits him. The actress is a beauty herself and shines in all the scenes. Even the bad guys of the show are great-looking men. The romantic scenes are shot beautifully, tastefully, and in a truly aesthetic manner. I am glad that Chinese dramas have progressed in that department, where the kissing scenes look real and passionate. Keep up the good work!
Now, a few things that I didn’t like and honestly don't understand. In my opinion, Pursuit of Jade could have been summed up in 32-33 episodes, max 35. There was no need to make it a 40-episode-long show. There were a few dragging subplots and scenes that dragged a bit too long. The part where the FL is separated from her little sister and the ML, is dragged somewhat too long. The scenes consisting of violence and gore were too many. The ML was healing and getting wounded at the same time. The FL was tending to his wounds and nursing him back to health after every 2nd or 3rd episode. It was mentioned in the beginning that the young sister of the FL was ill, and they even tried to show that in one of the scenes where she breathes heavily. That’s all! That was the only time when she was shown to be a bit unwell. The character of the FL’s former fiancée, who later became the intern scholar, was not used to its capacity. There were more possibilities for his character, but in the end, he turns out to be a failed and dejected man who drowns himself in drinking.
No period drama is complete without political conspiracy, and Pursuit of Jade is no exception. I understood very little of why there was so much mess in the royal court, and why the emperor was acting all juvenile and dimwitted. However, I liked the romantic angle between the Grand Princess and Gongsun Yin. There were many other challenges that I came across in keeping up with the plots aside from the Main Lead’s romance (that was definitely easier to get along with and understand).
I may revisit the show sometime and then may understand the parts that I totally missed and didn’t try to understand, as I was more invested in the lead pair’s story.
The story is not very unique. It has all the elements that a period drama is expected to have: a hero/heroine in distress, seeking revenge, a royal house planning and plotting, and a dark past that clearly affects many lives in the present. Nevertheless, it’s the screenplay that determines how the story unfolds and characters progress. Pursuit of Jade does a really good job in this area. Characters evolve and grow (at least most of them do). The subplots and the supporting cast have done a great job as well. The music is not exceptionally great, but worth remembering. Besides the romantic numbers, there are a few exhilarating pieces that blend well with the storyline.
The actors: Pursuit of Jade is full of great-looking actors. The whole Zhang Linghe beauty admiration doesn’t look like hype at all. He surely is a gorgeous-looking man, and not to mention, he looks utterly gorgeous in the traditional Chinese period drama costumes. The wigs have enhanced his looks 10 times; even in that bee sting headgear which he has worn twice during his grand entrance, suits him. The actress is a beauty herself and shines in all the scenes. Even the bad guys of the show are great-looking men. The romantic scenes are shot beautifully, tastefully, and in a truly aesthetic manner. I am glad that Chinese dramas have progressed in that department, where the kissing scenes look real and passionate. Keep up the good work!
Now, a few things that I didn’t like and honestly don't understand. In my opinion, Pursuit of Jade could have been summed up in 32-33 episodes, max 35. There was no need to make it a 40-episode-long show. There were a few dragging subplots and scenes that dragged a bit too long. The part where the FL is separated from her little sister and the ML, is dragged somewhat too long. The scenes consisting of violence and gore were too many. The ML was healing and getting wounded at the same time. The FL was tending to his wounds and nursing him back to health after every 2nd or 3rd episode. It was mentioned in the beginning that the young sister of the FL was ill, and they even tried to show that in one of the scenes where she breathes heavily. That’s all! That was the only time when she was shown to be a bit unwell. The character of the FL’s former fiancée, who later became the intern scholar, was not used to its capacity. There were more possibilities for his character, but in the end, he turns out to be a failed and dejected man who drowns himself in drinking.
No period drama is complete without political conspiracy, and Pursuit of Jade is no exception. I understood very little of why there was so much mess in the royal court, and why the emperor was acting all juvenile and dimwitted. However, I liked the romantic angle between the Grand Princess and Gongsun Yin. There were many other challenges that I came across in keeping up with the plots aside from the Main Lead’s romance (that was definitely easier to get along with and understand).
I may revisit the show sometime and then may understand the parts that I totally missed and didn’t try to understand, as I was more invested in the lead pair’s story.
Was this review helpful to you?
